~June~
11) Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
12) That Time I Joined the Circus by J.J. Howard
13) Insomnia by J.R. Johansson
14) Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey
15) A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
16) The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
17) The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
18) Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
19) The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford

Well I'm currently reading Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning. My blog has miraculously made it to 34 followers. By the way, thank you everyone. I've got a bit of a headache at the moment. To much caffeine, maybe.

What is to Come in the Future.......

I will be doing a review on Guitar Girl some time this week. I can't promise the same for Strange Angels. I have other books on hold at the library and on my shelf that I'm more anxious to read. So you'll see atleast two reviews this week, maybe more. Also, expect the random. lol. :P

In Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final installment in the series, Bella’s story plays out in some unexpected ways. The ongoing conflicts that made this series so compelling--a human girl in love with a vampire, a werewolf in love with a human girl, the generations-long feud between werewolves and vampires--resolve pretty quickly, apparently so that Meyer could focus on Bella’s latest opportunity for self-sacrifice: giving her life for someone she loves even more than Edward. How close she comes to actually making that sacrifice is questionable, which is a big shift from the earlier books. Even though you knew Bella would make it through somehow, the threats to her life, and to her relationship with Edward, had previously always felt real. It’s as if Meyer was afraid of hurting her characters too much, which is unfortunate, because the pain Bella suffered at losing Edward in New Moon, and the pain Jacob suffered at losing Bella again and again, are the fire and the heart that drive the whole series. Diehard fans will stick with Bella, Edward, and Jacob for as many twists and turns as possible, but after most of the characters get what they want with little sacrifice, some readers may have a harder time caring what happens next.

Review

Before I started reading Breaking Dawn, I had heard from numerous people that it was either a book you loved or hated. I have found this to be pretty much true. The book had its flaws but I basically loved it.

To start with, I really enjoyed the overall plot of this one. Breaking Dawn was exceptionally refreshing in comparison to the other books in the saga. It was very exciting and always held my attention, but I also felt it had a slightly more mature aspect to it. I thought it was interesting that she wrote part of the book in Jacob's point of view. I loved getting to see everything from his perspective. Different, but I liked it.

As for the characters, I felt they were all much better developed in this final installment than in the previous books. Bella was far less whiny and more realistic. I loved her character so much more in Breaking Dawn. Before, I had always felt that Jacob was the more well-rounded character of them all. Meyer voiced Jacob's perspective exactly how I would have hoped. I also enjoyed getting to know the wolf pack a little better. Especially Leah. Her snide and sarcastic remarks were written so well that I was even annoyed by her at times. However, I also pitied her because I knew her bitterness was her way of coping with the hurt of a broken heart.

The ending left somewhat to be desired. How do you rush an ending in a 768 page book? I just don't get it. Leave it to Stephenie Meyer to do it though. I also would have liked the ending to have been slightly bittersweet rather than the fairy tale "Happily Ever After" she decided to give it.

Series Review

Personally, I don't like Stephenie Meyer's actual writing technique. From the first book, I have believed this series to be inadequately written, despite her captivating story lines. She reminds me of the kind of person who likes to use big words to make themselves appear smart. For example, the word "chagrin" was used far too often and really disrupted any rhythm that her writing might have been starting to gain. When she does this, it messes up the flow of the rest of the book. Besides, what 18 year old says the word "chagrin" anyhow. Most young adults probably don't even know what it means, much less use it in their daily vocabulary. Not to mention her poor sentence structures.

Overall, I thought that this was a fun and exciting series despite its poor technical merit. Though the books are long, they are very fast paced. 'Course, I'll never understand why I like these books as much as I do. Although, I do agree with the critics in saying that this series portrays bad messages on relationships. More specifically, the first two books. The love between Bella and Edward is more similar to obsession than true love. Edward also has some serious control issues. It isn't until Eclipse that Bella finally grows a spine and stands up to Edward. Eclipse is also when I feel her obsession with him turns more towards the direction of love. I would definitely put the last two books as being the best of the series. I do not recommend these books to those under the age of 14, and then I would still take into consideration their maturity level. I have seen too many people become ridiculously obsessed with these books.Grade

Thursday, May 28, 2009

I have managed to be really lucky in receiving this award twice this week. :) I'd like to send out a huge thank you to The Tainted Poet and Michelle's Bookshelf. I was really surprised to get a blog award this early on in the game.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret StohlPub. Date: December 1, 2009Publisher: Little, Brown Young ReadersSynopsis (From Amazon):There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl.And in the end, there was a grave.Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

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Well, I don't know about you but this book sounds like it is going to be totally awesome! I can't wait to get a chance to read it.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Hello everyone! Ok, so this is my first time doing Teaser Tuesday on my blog. This week's Teaser is going to be from Breaking Dawn since it is what I'm reading right now.

Teaser from Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn", pg. 271:

"You know how you drown a blonde, Rosalie?" I asked without stopping or turning to look at her. "Glue a mirror to the bottom of a pool."

Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be ReadingRules:1) Grab your current read2) Open to a random page3) Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Well, my first week of blogging has come to an end. From now on, every Sunday, I'll do a post called Past, Present, Future, that will sum up the PAST week's events, what is PRESENTly going on, and what you can expect in the FUTURE from my blog. It is kind of like the Round Up meme, but with a different name and more info.

These are not all my posts, just the more important ones. lol. I am planning to get some new books, after winning a bet against my mom(which you can read about HERE). You can post your suggestions as to what you think I should get HERE.

During the past week, my blog was practically constantly under construction. However, I think I got everything how I want it now.

What is going on at Present........

I currently have 19 followers. Yay! I'm also reading Breaking Dawn. I am constantly trying to find ways to improve this blog and make it more fun for you, the follower. If you have any questions, suggestions, or just feel like talkin', contact me in the chat box or e-mail me. :)

What's to come in the Future this week.......

This week you can expect to see a review on Breaking Dawn and possibly Guitar Girl. I will more than likely do my first In My Mailbox meme this week as well. So keep your eyes open. I also may post another poll. And of course, you can pretty much always expect me to post about something random and off topic at a random time. :P That's just how I roll. :)

Well, I made it through the first week of blogging. At 18 followers, I did better than I had ever hoped I would this early on.

I want to thank every single one of you for following me during this rough starting period. It means even more to me that you were willing to follow before I have gotten a chance to do contests and author interviews. Hopefully I'll be able to start doing some of that stuff in the near future.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then Specials were a sinister rumor -- frighteningly beautiful, dangerously strong, breathtakingly fast. Ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary.

And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.

The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more.

Still, it's easy to tune that out -- until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same.

Review

Scott Westerfeld concludes his remarkable trilogy with his final installment, Specials. (Yes, I said TRILOGY. In my opinion, Extras was merely an after thought.) With Tally now a Special, she has even more power to change the course of events in her life and in the world. And she does.

Specials was even better than its two predecessors, Uglies and Pretties, though they too, were great. Westerfeld continues to do an excellent job developing his characters. Specials was action-packed and a thrilling book to read. You really start to understand why Special Circumstances do what they do. They really did start out with good intentions, but ended up getting carried away.

Specials even made me cry, and if you have read it before, then I'm sure you know which part. Throughout the series, you grow to love and sympathize with Tally, as it is hard not to when presented with such a realistic and genuine character.

Towards the end, there was a certain something that I wish hadn't happened, but I later realized was somewhat necessary. We can't all have a fairy tale ending. The last chapter tied everything together nicely and was the perfect ending to a phenomenal trilogy.

Anyone who takes the time to read between the lines of these books will realize that Westerfeld has delivered a very important and meaningful message to, we, the readers, and not just another entertaining story. I can't be sure if that was his intention or not, though I like to believe it was. I already understood the message, which is why I loved the ending so much, but I believe it is something you should be left to discover and understand on your own. Once you figure it out, it'll make you love his books even more. Or atleast it did with me. So, you'll just have to take my word and go read these books. Believe me, if you haven't read them yet, you are truly missing out on something great.

Since the days of King Arthur, there have been poems and paintings created in her name. She is Elaine of Ascolat, the Lady of Shalott, and now there is a book all her own. The year is 490 A.D. and 16-year-old Elaine has a temperament to match her fiery red hair. Living on a military base with her father, brothers, and the rest of Arthur's army, Elaine pines for the handsome Lancelot, and longs for a female friend. But when the cruel, beautiful Gwynivere arrives, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry. Can Elaine find the strength to survive the birth of a kingdom?

Review

This is the first book I have ever read that was written in verse, so I admit to being skeptical, at first.

Well, to my surprise, I loved it! Song of the Sparrow was such an eloquently written story of love and war, family and friendship. The story flowed so smoothly from one page onto the next, making it almost impossible to put down. A favorite by far, this is one of the most touching and heartfelt novels I've ever read.

Her characters were well developed and very realistic. Sandell creates such a beautiful voice in the heroine Elaine. She was a truly genuine character, and despite the time period, very easy to connect with.

As for the ending, what more could I have asked for? It ended exactly how I would have hoped. I simply wish that this book had been longer. Because of the style it is written in, it could have stood to be twice as long.

In the Author's Notes, you can tell that Lisa Ann Sandell definately did her research, tying in characters from past famous works such as, "Tristen and Isolde" and "The Lady of Shalott". Whether you are a fan of Camelot mythology or not, this is a captivating story well worth reading over and over again.

Ok. I have seen alot of different memes and I have been dying to create one of my own. So far, I haven't seen anyone with this one yet so I thought it would be something fun to do on Saturday's. If you have already created this idea then I apologize. I didn't know. If I had seen you do it, I would have asked to use the idea.

Well, this is how it works. I'll post a section of text from a book and you have to guess what book it is from. There is no prize, it is just for fun. Maybe later on, I'll start awarding small prizes to the winner. :)

So here is this weeks, "Name That Book":

"Do you know karate? Because your body sure is kickin'."In my CCR uniform? Give me a break. Still, I turned to the shirtless wonder at the counter who I judged to be fairly close to my age. I smiled and said, "You come on as strong as a garlic milkshake."

Just to show how generous I am, I'll give you two hints.1. The book was published in 20052. The author is a woman.

Everyone, you have til next Friday to figure it out. The answer will be posted in the new Name That Book.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

Review

Introducing great new characters and returning favorites, Westerfeld continues the exciting story of Tally Youngblood in Pretties. Filled with action, romance, and betrayal, Pretties was a quick but gripping read that kept me turning the pages for more. Westerfeld continues to develop the personalities of his characters to perfectly match who they have become.

In this book, you start to learn more about what it means to be a "Pretty". I'm anixous to read Specials. This is by far a favorite series of mine.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Ok, everyone. I won a bet with my mom, concerning my SAT scores, and now I can get three new books from amazon. Well, I'm having a very hard time choosing what I want. I'm already pretty sure I want Wake, but that still leaves two empty spots. Any suggestions?

Keep in mind I'm not a big fan of anything creepy. I'm still trying to coax my way into the whole vampire and zombie thing. So don't recommend those kinds of books.

I am open to pre-ordering a book, so if there is something that hasn't been released that you would like to read a review on, suggest it.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

From Publishers Weekly: The legions of readers who are hooked on the romantic struggles of Bella and the vampire Edward will ecstatically devour this third installment of the story begun in Twilight, but it's unlikely to win over any newcomers. Jake, the werewolf met in New Moon, pursues Bella with renewed vigilance. However, when repercussions from an episode in Twilight place Bella in the mortal danger that series fans have come to expect, Jake and Edward forge an uneasy alliance. The plot patterns have begun to show here, but Meyer's other strengths remain intact. The supernatural elements accentuate the ordinary human dramas of growing up. Jake and Edward's competition for Bella feels particularly authentic, especially in their apparent desire to best each other as much as to win Bella. Once again the author presents teenage love as an almost inhuman force: "[He] would have been my soul mate still," says Bella, "if his claim had not been overshadowed by something stronger, something so strong that it could not exist in a rational world." According to Meyer, the fourth book should tie up at least the Edward story, if not the whole shebang.

Review

This is my favorite book from the series so far. Though Stephenie Meyer seemed to insist on continuing in an inconsistent writing style, her characters seemed better developed.

Fast-paced and full of action, Eclipse really grabbed and held my attention throughout the ENTIRE book. I was glad to find that some of my questions concerning matters in the first two books were answered in this one. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the saga.

but I got my SAT scores online this morning. I had made a deal with my mom, prior to getting my scores, that if I did better than 1650 I could get one new book. If I got over 1700 I could get 2-3 books, including pre-order books. I thought she was getting the better end of the deal on this cause I was scared I wouldn't even get a 1650. Well, I got a 1720! *does happy dance* Not bad for a sophmore. I was sooo happy when I got my scores online this morning. I think the good news has kind of numbed the pain in my wrist, a little anyway. So, you can expect to see more reviews popping up in the next couple of days. Now I just have to make-up my mind what new books I want to get. :P

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Well I went to Walmart today and I was trying to load some groceries in the truck. The tailgate is really tough to let down and it slammed down crushing my right wrist and arm between it and the buggy. :( It hurts really bad. So I apologize to ya'll if my posts and reviews take a while to get up. I'm trying to do everything with my left hand. Reading is probably gonna be a bit complicated too.

Synopsis (from Amazon):For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

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Well this is my first time doing Waiting on Wednesday. I decided to go with Shiver. The only books I've ever read with werewolves in them were the Twilight series. After reading the Epilogue in Eclipse, told from Jacob's point of view, I decided that I wanted to try and read a werewolf book. Shiver just sounds sooooo good! I get my SAT scores tomorrow, if I score over a certain point, my mom is going to let me get two books of my choice. I very well might pre-order this. :)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Yeah! I'm now at five followers! I would really like to thank all of you for following me through the shaky beginning. This may only be my third day running this blog but I love it and I appreciate you helping make it possible by following. :)

"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.

It all happened very quickly then. Edward threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table... I tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. I felt the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow. Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm-into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.

Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

ReviewI had read over 100pgs before I finally got into this one. One reason it took me awhile to get into it was because Bella's whining and depression was really getting on my nerves. It got better after her and Jacob started hanging out. She was happier and things were actually starting to happen.

Also, I'm not very crazy about Stephenie Meyer's writing style. It is poor and lacks good technique, in my opinion. Plus, some of her characters annoy me. The main ones, for that matter. Bella and Edward just don't have much personality and there isn't any real legitamate or logical reason for their love. Jacob had a little more personality, though it wasn't always a good one.

Thankfully, there was nearly always something going on that held my attention. Still not to sure why I like these books, though. I guess you could say Stephenie Meyer is junk food for the brain. Not good for you but fun just the same. Every now and then, you don't want to eat your vegetables, but instead grab a bag of chips.

Do you have questions or suggestions? Just shoot me an e-mail and I'll get right back to you ASAP.

If you are an Author/Publisher and you would like to send me a book for review, I'd be glad to check it out. Check my wishlist down on the left sidebar, I may already want it. I'm also glad to do interviews, guest posts, sneak peeks and host contests. Also, please be sure to read my Review Policy. Thank you! :D

Noteworthy Passages (Arranged Alphabetically)This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you

About My Blog
The Book Pixie is a book review blog dedicated mostly to YA & MG literature. However, if I read a non-YA/MG book, you can pretty much be guaranteed to see it on here because A) I post reviews on EVERY book I read and B) If I read it, then chances are there are other YAs out there who would like to read it as well.

Some things you can find on my blog are: reviews, interviews, guest posts, contests, sneak peeks, weekly memes, book news, and mixed in bits of randomness. Not to mention my exclusive, unless someone is using it without my permission, feature called Noteworthy Passages which I came up with back in January 2010.

You can always rest assured that my reviews will be honest and unbiased but also fair. The last place you are going to find book bashing is on my blog. (Ok except for the occasional Twilight post but note these are not reviews. I have reviews on all the books and they are fair. You have to understand I have a love/hate relationship with the Twilight series. Besides, it isn't the books I ridicule but the blown out of proportion publicity they get.) I find people who bash authors and there books to be totally disrespectful of the time devoted to writing those books, whether you liked it or not.About Me
Hmmmm. What is there to say about me? Well I'm a college student majoring in English (writing concentration) and minoring in Animal Science and Dance. Besides reading, I'm extremely passionate about photography. Some of which I actually have for sale. (You can see my website here.) I also love making book thongs and am starting to make jewelry now as well. My newest favorite thing to do would have to be Ballroom dancing, a love I've discovered since coming to college. Oh and I have a twitter account especially for spreading the word about amazing book deals and promoting indie authors at @PixieBookDeals.

What I like to read:
Mostly YA and MG though I do enjoy books outside these categories such as war books, classics, adult contemporary, etc.

Guess what everyone?! Katie from "Katie's Bookshelf" is giving one lucky winner a copy of Darlene Ryan's new book Five Minutes More. How generous of her? :) Click the title of this post to go to her contest page or follow the link below.